Mike Carr (musician)

Mike Carr (born Michael Anthony Carr, 7 December 1937, South Shields, County Durham, England) is an English jazz organist, pianist and vibraphonist. For a living he travels round and performs, but he also teaches people how to write songs. Mike had an impact on the South African jazz scene where he played piano and organ with many great jazz musicians like drummers Maurice Gawronsky, Will McClure and bassist Basil Moses. Will commented in an article he wrote on jazz in South Africa in the 1960s that Mike Carr brought with him a creative maturity that changed the direction of many of the young jazz musicians in South Africa at the time.

Younger brother of trumpeter Ian Carr, with whom he formed the EmCee Five band, he started out playing in Newcastle in the 1960s before going on to London in the 1970s and appearing regularly at Ronnie Scott's. EmCee Five featured some of the UK's top jazz musicians of the 1960s and 1970s, including John McLaughlin, Ronnie Stephenson, Malcolm Cecil, Spike Heatley and Johnny Butts. In 1976 he was band member of Eric Burdon.

From 1971-5, Carr was a member of Ronnie Scott's trio, first with Tony Crombie and later with Bobby Gien. In the mid-1980s he led the band Cargo, who were notable for recording the first jazz rap record, entitled "Jazz Rap". Mike continues to play his Hammond B3 and deals in Hammond Organs but is now semi-retired but can still swing.

Discography

with Emcee Five

• 1961: Let's Take Five.
• 1962: Bebop from the East Coast (Birdland) with Ian Carr, John McLaughlin
• 2005: Legend

other recordings

• 1993: Good Times and the Blues (Cargogold) with Dick Morrissey, Jim Mullen

With Prince Lasha

• Insight (CBS, 1966)

External links

• http://www.puresource.co.uk/mikecarr/ Mike Carr Cargogold Productions & Birdland Records